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Spanish early music has become comparatively mainstream
in recent years, but this disc shows that there are still large tracts
of fine renaissance music that are still to be tapped. The programme includes
works by major international figures of the sixteenth century - Josquin
and Gombert, as well as motets by the, now fairly well known, Spaniards
Guerrero and Alonso Lobo. Of these figures, Lobo is possibly the most
interesting. Blending styles of the old and the new, his motet "Libera
me", at 8’29" a substantial piece of composition, contrasts
the usual sinuous polyphony with quite extended passages in traditional
plainsong. The contrast of textures that results from this juxtaposition
of the severe and the lush is striking and effective. Avoiding the mistake
of over-cooking the richness of the polyphony Alistair Dixon draws from
his singers a greater sense of the sublime. In contrast, the chanting
of the plainsong is given a weight and richness that its melodic simplicity
might at first not suggest. This contrast works very effectively.
[track 16 - start 4’30" ]

The major work on this disc is much less well known although
why this should be so is a mystery. The booklet notes by Bruno Turner
make a fascinating case for the discovery of the music that was sung at
the Royal Exequies - what we would now call a memorial service - celebrated
five weeks after the death of Philip II of Spain. There survives a proposed
order of service for this occasion which says "the Mass of the dead
is to be that of Circumdederunt for six voices..." There are several
There are few survivals of works from this period that include the motet
"Circumdederunt me", but surprisingly the six voice Requiem
by Jean Richafort is based throughout on canons employing the chant ‘Circumdederunt
me gemitus mortis." It was published in Attaignant’s sixth collection
of masses in 1532. This is one of those masterworks that defies logical
comprehension as to how such perfection of musical beauty could combine
with such strict and rigorous technical structures.

The six part texture lends a richness and dignity that
the singers of Chapelle du Roi relish. There are 16 singers credited in
the booklet, making this a fairly large group for this sort of music,
but Alistair Dixon moulds the textures well, avoiding the thickness of
sound that can easily result from careless blending of the six parts.
[ track 4 - start 0’00" ] Just occasionally there is some
rather uneven intonation in the plainsong, which is a shame as the general
gloss of the sound in the polyphony is good. The standard of presentation
with Signum discs is excellent. Cover designs are well thought out and
tastefully executed; booklet notes with complete texts and translations
into Spanish and German are excellent. The quality of the recording employs
the generous acoustic of St Jude’s, Hampstead to good effect, without
loosing the clarity while yet retaining the sense of spaciousness that
complements Dixon’s spacious pacing. Overall there is a feeling of tremendously
relaxed solemnity that would almost certainly have suited the style of
His Late Majesty. [track 10 - start 0’09" ]

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